Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 01/01/2021 Gr 3–6—"Just Esther." That's how Esther sees herself. Her younger sister, Astrid, can always tell if people are telling the truth and is a marvelous poker player, and her older sister, Imogen, is a champion swimmer. As far as Esther is concerned, she's nothing special. Even Esther's mother never seems to remember her middle child. Esther is looking forward to sixth grade at the Katherine Valley Boarding School, which she has attended for years and loves. But this year is different. Something magical is happening to the ocean; Esther's best friends, Georgia and Hsiang, haven't returned to school; her new teacher, gray-haired Mrs. Pollack, is rumored to be an ogre; Esther is having a terrible recurring nightmare; and the school is under the threat of attack by Shadow Mages. Still, Esther is determined to make the best of the school year—but no matter how hard she works, she can't seem to achieve anything higher than a C-. She will have to rise above her self-doubt in order to come into her own. There's a lot packed into this sweet tale told in a deceptively simple, authentic 12-year-old voice. Without devolving into a didactic tone, this novel addresses the concept of safe adults, the danger of comparing oneself to others, the importance of telling the truth and standing up to bullies, and the value of apologizing. Readers can return to this text over and over, and always discover something new. VERDICT A delightfully quirky story with nuance, depth, and a colorful cast of characters, this book begs for multiple readings.—Heather M. Campbell, formerly at Philip S. Miller Lib., Castle Rock, CO - Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 02/15/2021 *Starred Review* This third volume in the Kingdoms and Empires universe (begun with The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone, 2018) takes place a generation after The Whispering Wars (2019), as Esther Mettlestone-Staranise begins grade six at Katherine Valley Boarding School (for a non-magical education within a very magical world). Esther, an accomplished eavesdropper, pens her own story, often—delightfully—breaking the fourth wall as she contends with an escalating series of troubles: the sudden absence of her best friends, the threat of Shadow Mages encroaching on school, the most repugnant teacher since Dolores Umbridge, and a shrinking sense of self-worth. Quick chapters (more than 150 of them!) and punchy prose will bind readers to the page as Esther’s day-to-day school life gradually expands into a fairly epic, high-stakes climax, the smattering of little mysteries—embedded early on—growing from trifles into significant puzzle pieces. Moriarty brilliantly fits it all together and, as usual, is relentlessly clever throughout, maintaining a tone firmly on the comic side of fantasy, though this doesn’t keep Esther’s story from nailing critical moments of emotional resonance. This title, like its siblings, is a perfectly accessible stand-alone, although, together, they give a deeper immersion and lay the groundwork of something like a middle-grade version of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld—fantasy adventure steeped in humor, with a touch of satire, and set in a whimsical secondary world of the highest order. - Copyright 2021 Booklist.